Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Warmer weather

Location, Home

I am in a “do nothing” mood I guess so there has been no update to the blog. The weather last week was cold by our California Coast standards so I didn’t do much of anything outside. It has warmed up some this week in fact the local temperature was 80 degrees yesterday. Today was also another nice day with “T-shirt” weather for most of it.

The weeds in the back yard are getting way too tall so I have been attacking them a little at a time. Mostly it is the Oxalis which in the spring takes over everything. I started by chopping a path around the edge of the garden and pulling the weeds in the asparagus bed which by the way, is starting to produce a small hand full of asparagus each day. Within a week or so we should be able to pick more than we can eat each day.

I need to replace the fence between our neighbor and us which is about 60 feet long. The price of lumber just keeps going up so I have been checking around for the best price. I need to buy now and store the lumber for a few months so it can dry before I build the fence. If it is put up green, the boards shrink and leave large gaps between each board. My neighbor will share the cost and wants to also do the fence on his other side at the same time. We are talking about a lot of boards.

Before I can do the fence, I need to remove some plants and my neighbor will need to remove a Guava tree from near our fence line. The Guava is pushing the fence up as it grows. I also have cement edging under the fence which will need to be replaced when the Guava tree comes out. All-in-all, it will be a big job but I hope to spread it over several months.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Lunar Eclipse

Location, Home

Did everyone get to see the lunar eclipse last night? It really was awesome. We had a few clouds but for the most part we did see the complete eclipse from beginning to end from our front door.

The past week has been uneventful, hence no blogging. I have been monitoring the on-line RV blogs as usual and am jealous of all those folks who are on the road in the Southwest. I am surprised by the number of people who gravitated to Organ Pipe National Monument after leaving Quartzsite. It is a natural place to go while in the Southwest even if it has the highest crime rate of all National Parks. This crime rate is because of the illegals crossing the border in this area. One of the roads paralleling the border has been closed because of the problems. However, having said that, it still is a great park to visit to see all the cactus.

We drove North today with friends Lee and Peggy for lunch with Ron and Becky. Becky served a great lunch with a fresh baked pie for dessert. Thanks Becky. It was good to sit and visit for a few hours.

It has been some time since we have gone in this direction and the green rolling hills were worth the drive. We are so used to brown hills here in California that the green from the winter’s rain is a pleasure to see.

It rained on us most of the way home and along with windy conditions made for a “ both hands on the wheel drive”.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Rain and Hail!!!

Location, Home

Crazy weather!! What happened to our nice days? The day time temperatures have been ok but it really drops off in late afternoon. Yesterday morning it started to rain big fat drops along with hail. Just enough to wet the ground but the temperature really plunged.

We are still cleaning the trailer. Today the vacuuming got done and the floors mopped. The bedding was all removed to wash and air out. All in readiness for another trip. We have no firm plans as yet.

I did get the truck and car washed the other day. Both really needed washing.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Hone again

Location, Home

Driving through Los Angeles is not my favorite thing by any means. Yesterday’s trip from Bouse to home was uneventful if not long. We left at 8:30 AM Arizona time and arrived home about 4:30 AZ time. We used the new, to us, Highway 210 extension which goes from I-10 all the way to Castaic. What a difference from the usual traffic and bad road we had been using. The traffic was moderate for a Sunday but moved right along. When pulling the trailer I tend to drive in the right hand lane at 55-60 MPH. I do need to watch for merging traffic but that keeps me out of the speed demon lanes.

The weather here was beautiful and warm so I washed the trailer awning before I backed it into the driveway. The neighbors were all outside so it was like a “neighborhood get together” while I worked.

We only partially unloaded the trailer last night and believe me; I went to bed early and died last night. I hate 400 mile days in traffic anyway. I would rather do 200 miles a day and then stop.

Now we have stacks of mail to process, mostly junk, and lots of laundry to do, and the trailer and truck to unload.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Headed Home

Location - Bouse, AZ

We will be heading home tomorow. Now that the weather has gotten nice, we have decided to go home. Actually, Craig has another doctor's appointment this week and Clyda needs to go along with him.

We hate to leave as we have many really nice friends here during the winter and will miss them. We also hate to miss the wild flowers which should be outstanding after all the rain in January.

More after we get home.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Casa Grande and Sun Lakes, AZ

Location, Bouse, AZ

We just got back from a 2-day trip to Casa Grande and Sun Lakes, AZ. In Casa Grande we visited Clyda’s cousin Rodney and his wife Claralyn. Claralyn was under going chemotherapy for breast cancer when we were there last year and the remarkable difference this year was truly a miracle.

We drove down on Tuesday morning in time for lunch and later in the afternoon Rodney drove us to see the Casa Grande ruins. The National Park Service has done a great job with the exhibits depicting Hohokam life several hundred years ago.



After a morning of talking, we drove up the road 30 miles to Sun Lakes, AZ in time for lunch with our friends Don and Lois. We have known them for years and when our kids were young they lived in our neighborhood for a couple of years. We visit them here and at their house in Minnesota whenever we pass through.

Lois drove us around Sun Lakes which has about 3800 residences centered around a golf course and club house with all the amenities. Thursday after a walk with Don and Buttons, their schnauzer, we drove back to Bouse by a few back roads which for the most part, bypassed Phoenix.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

More ATVing

Location, Bouse, AZ

Super Bowl Sunday!! Big Deal!!! Well, maybe not such a big deal for us as we have no TV reception so have missed all the hype. We will watch the game later and have hot dogs and chili.

Friday morning Jack, Bill, and I trailered the ATV’s several miles down the road and intended to head towards Cottonwood Pass east of Bouse but a large group of people drove past us headed in the same direction so we decided on another destination. We wandered along creek bottoms exploring as we went. We did check out a few mines, had to backtrack once when the road ended, and saw three bighorn sheep. The sheep were not too interested in us and continued to graze up a ridge. We watched them for about 45 minutes before pushing on.
It was a great day for a ride. No wind and mild temperatures. The Ocotillo are getting new leaves after the last rains and there is grass and flowers growing in spots. It should be a beautiful, flowery, spring in the desert.

I look like I know what I am doing, don't I?

Bill's new ride.

Do you think they mean it?

Bill unloading his ATV.

Jack on the trailer.

On Saturday we went to Blythe with Jack and Judy. We had breakfast at Maria’s, a really great Mexican restaurant. We shopped at K-Mart, Smart and Final, and Albertsons before returning to Bouse. Later we went to Desert Gold RV Park for cocktail hour with Bill and Linda, old friends from our Desert Gold days.

Jack and Judy joined us for beef stew that Clyda had fixed in the crock-pot for our dinner.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Desert ATVing

Location, Bouse, AZ

What a great day yesterday! It was cold in morning but no wind. After I posted the blog, Jack and I took the ATV’s out into the desert and picked up a 55 gallon barrel which had been abandoned by someone. Jack will make a stove out of it. Later, Bill and Karen, friends from our days at Desert Gold RV Park stopped by and the three of us guys went for an ATV ride west into the desert. We just wandered here and there, following old roads or at times just heading in a general direction.

When we arrived back about 3:30 PM we were greeted with hot out of the oven cinnamon rolls made by Judy’s Sister Connie who lives next door. She makes the best cinnamon rolls.

We loaded the 3 ATV’s on a trailer and tomorrow morning will do an all day trip.

By now it was cocktail time so we retired to our trailer for some liquid refreshment. I later made pork fried rice for Jack, Judy, Clyda, and I with part of a left over pork loin I had BBQ’ed earlier in the week. It is my standard answer for left over pork.